BOX SCORE 1 | BOX SCORE 2 WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The University of New Haven baseball team completed a Northeast-10 Southwest Division sweep, taking a pair from visiting American International by scores of 5-3 and 6-2 on Senior Day at Frank Vieira Field. Brendon Buckley (Monroe, Conn./Masuk) went 5-for-8 with three doubles in the twin bill.
 
After the sweep, the Chargers improve to 14-8 overall and 9-6 in the Northeast-10. The Yellow Jackets drop to 11-21 with a 4-16 conference mark.
 
In addition Buckley's five hits, Kyle Cullen (Dumont, N.J./Dumont) went 3-for-6 with four runs batted in, including a three-RBI day in the nightcap. Zach Collett (Westbrook, Maine/Westbrook) also had three hits on the day with a solo home run – his first roundtripper of the spring. Chris DeMorais (West Hartford, Conn./Conard) added his first homer of the season as an insurance run in game one.
 
On the mound, Pat Simone (Branford, Conn./Branford) and John Melville (Ulster Park, N.Y./Kingston) started and earned the victories. Simone (4-1) got the ball in game one, allowing one earned run on eight hits and one walk in six innings of work. The southpaw struck out three batters. Frank Vilacha (Dartmouth, Mass./Dartmouth) posted two frames of scoreless relief, and Buckley hung a zero in the ninth to record his first save.
 
In game two, Melville (2-2) pitched eight innings of one-run ball, scattering five hits while racking up eight strikeouts. Vincent Aprea (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y./Comsewogue) struck out two batters in a scoreless ninth to complete the win.
 
Game 1
The Yellow Jackets struck first in the opener with two unearned runs in the top of the second inning. Brett Bohl picked up both RBI with a one-out, two-run single before Simone responded with a strikeout and a flyout to retire the side with minimal damage.
 
TJ Riccio (Port Jeff Station, N.Y./Comsewogue) led off the bottom of the third inning with a single and, two batters later, Tim Geer (Derby, Conn./Derby) dropped a double into right field to advance Riccio to third.  Tom Walraven (Pine Bush, N.Y./Pine Bush) capitalized on the opportunity with a sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit in half at 2-1.
 
The Chargers would storm into the lead with three runs in their next trip to the plate. All of the offense came with two outs, started by a bunt single by Buckley. Collett followed with a double, scoring Buckley all the way from first. After Riccio hit an RBI single, it was the New Haven catcher motoring from first around to score on a Cullen two-bagger than ran the Chargers' advantage to 4-2.
 
The Yellow Jackets threatened to pull even in the top of the fifth with two runners on and one out. However, after Lucas Vallas drilled a ball to the gap in left centerfield with a hit-and-run on, Brendan O'Reilly dove and made the catch on the warning track. He then fired the ball back toward the infield, with Walraven and Johnson completing the double play to retire the side.
 
American International would take one back in the top of the sixth on another RBI single from Bohl, but New Haven responded in a big way in the bottom of the eighth as DeMorais roped a two-out, solo home run over the wall in right field.
 
Buckley moved from third base to the mound and posted a scoreless ninth inning to preserve the 5-3 victory.
 
Riccio and Buckley each had two hits in game one, while Buckley and O'Reilly recorded their ninth and eighth stolen base of the year, respectively.
 
Game 2
The Chargers started the scoring in the nightcap with two runs in the bottom of the second inning. DeMorais led off with a walk, followed by a Buckley single and Collett free pass to load the bases. Cullen delivered with a two-run single to stake New Haven to an early 2-0 edge.
 
The lead grew in the bottom of the fourth inning. Buckley doubled to left field to start the offense and took third on a throwing error. After another Collett walk, it was Cullen who cashed in again with an RBI single.
 
A wild pitch with runners on the corners put the Yellow Jackets on the board in the bottom of the fifth before the Blue and Gold struck again in the home half of the sixth frame. Another Buckley two-bagger led off the stanza, followed by a Collett single. Two batters later, Jason Lewicki (Milford, Conn./Foran) sent a sacrifice fly into center field, allowing Buckley to race home and extend the lead to 4-1.
 
The tally remained the same into the top of the eighth inning. Dan Fenton's two-out RBI base-hit allowed an unearned run to come across, cutting the Chargers' advantage to 4-2.
 
Just as they had done in the opener, New Haven responded with a late insurance run by way of the long ball. Collett led off the last of the eighth with a rocket that easily cleared the wall in the left centerfield and landed on the UNH Softball Field. After Cullen walked, stole second and advanced to third on an error, Walraven capped the day's scoring with an RBI single to run the margin to its eventual final of 6-2.
 
Buckley went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three runs scored in the nightcap, while Cullen was 2-for-3 with three RBI. Collett was perfect at the dish, with his towering homer putting the exclamation point on a 2-for-2 showing with two walks.  O'Reilly, Cullen and Walraven each swiped a base in the contest.
 
The Chargers and Yellow Jacket will conclude their three-game division series on Monday, April 21. First pitch from Frank Vieira Field is slated for 3:30 p.m.